


Warmth

by scatterthewords



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, SAVE ALL THE THINGS, but i'll migrate stuff over here as Tumblr continues to get terrible, i don't write fic anymore sigh, little crush, maybe after grad school, prompt fill for a friend, written forever agoooooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 13:03:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7533778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scatterthewords/pseuds/scatterthewords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of "The Western Air Temple," Zuko tries to apologize to Toph for hurting her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [professortennant](https://archiveofourown.org/users/professortennant/gifts).



> When cool people request things from me, I get to them… Eventually. This one is for Jess. I’m so sorry it took me forever!

She knew it was him before he ever got anywhere near her. It wasn’t just the height and weight that his steps bellied; it was his actual step. Light and liquid as a dancer, more real than Twinkletoes’ but less solid than her own, yet always on guard and ready to twist into attack with little notice. It was the way the warmth that flowed into the ground from his feet. That wasn’t part of his bending. It was just, you know, him.

He sat on the lip of the fountain next to her, and she turned her face away. Stupid warmer weather; it was making her all hot. But Sparky would think something stupid, as if she were blushing or something.  
He sighed, and she could feel the tension radiating off him. By the creaks of his knuckles, he’d closed his hands into fists in his lap.

“I’m… sorry,” he finally squeezed out.

Toph blinked, and turned towards him in surprise. “What for?”

She could hear him lift his hand from his lap to do something, then belatedly he said, “Your feet…”

She lifted them off the floor of the fountain, pulling them gingerly away from the water. The Sugar Queen had done what she could for her feet, but dragging herself back here had taken her longer than was best. The angry blisters still smarted, and made “seeing” everything a bit fuzzy.

“Whatever. It’s fine.”

“No it’s not!” She flinched away from his sharp, shouted words. He sucked in a deep breath, and then she could hear his fingers scrape through his hair. “Don’t be so nice to me. You’re hurt, and it’s all my fault. And I’m sorry.”

One eyebrow lifted of its own accord. She set her feet back in the water, then drummed her finger along the lip of the fountain to get a better picture of him.

“Look, Zuko. You can believe me or not, but it’s really fine. Or it will be, anyway. I met your uncle. I understand more than you think I do. I startled you, without announcing your presence, and this is the prince. Katara will get me fixed up in no time. You’ve got a lot of things to beat yourself up over. Don’t waste any of that on me.”

He went alarmingly still, so she turned away from him again, kicking her feet through the water. “Aang needs you. And despite everything, you came. And despite all the prejudice against you, you’ve stayed. That’s good enough for me.”

She bit her lip and dropped her head. Stupid, stupid, stupid. She should have just left off on a vague insult. Now she sounded like a love-struck child. And Zuko would laugh at her and then walk away.

Before he could say anything, though, Katara’s voice rang out through the temple, announcing dinner. She cocked her head to the side, considering all the distance between where she sat and the fire where dinner was dished out. Then she groaned.

Zuko’s hand landed on her shoulder, making her jump. “Come on, let’s go get some food. Assuming Katara will give me any.” She could hear the smile in his voice, but the retort she was going to lob at him scattered when his other hand moved under her knee.

“Hey!” She flailed away from him, nearly falling into the water. “What are you doing?!”

He did that startling thing of falling completely still again. “I was going to… carry you. It would be faster,” he explained in an awkward, stilted voice.

“I can manage on my own,” she shot back, her face flaming hot again.

Silence answered her. She was just getting ready to move to the ground and crawl towards the fire again when he spoke. “Please.” His voice was so soft, that if she didn’t have experience listening for the slightest noise, she would have missed it. “It’s my fau– Look, just let me, alright? Please.”

The sorrow in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. That someone would care so much what their impact on her was… She sighed, and schooled her expression into one of vague annoyance and condescension. “Fine. Sugar Queen doesn’t like it when I show up to dinner with dirt under my nails, anyways.”

He chuckled for a moment, even as his arms came down again, one under her shoulders and one beneath her knees. She stiffened for a moment before she put her own arm around his neck. It’s to make sure he doesn’t drop me, she vowed silently.

“Away, then, driver!” she called out, waving her arm in the direction she wanted to go. When a genuine laugh filled the silence, she didn’t even try to hide the pleased smile that stretched across her face.


End file.
